A Brief History of Chocolate Milk

The cocoa bean has been mixed with water and milk throughout history, but it wasn’t until the early 19^th century that a drink was developed that we would consider being the grandfather of modern chocolate milk.

Before the invention of the chocolate hydraulic press, developed by Casparus van Houten of Amsterdam in 1828, cocoa beans were ground (like coffee) and mixed directly with milk. This mixture was bitter, not easily dissolved in the milk and hard to digest due to the very high fat content of the cocoa bean. Van Houten’s press reduced the fat content of the bean to nearly half (by squeezing the oil out) and the product it created was easily formed into a powder that would dissolve much more readily into milk.

After van Houten’s patent for the press expired in 1838, other chocolate manufactures began to work with the newly created powder to enhance the taste of the chocolate. This opened the floodgates of many manufactures to begin mass producing chocolate powder to mix with milk to either make chocolate milk or hot chocolate drinks.

Once chocolate became less expensive (due to the industrial revolution and various new growing, shipping, and manufacturing process), chocolate milk really became a staple for many individuals throughout the developed world. Many of us grew up drinking this wonderful chocolate drink everyday at school, a pleasure we would not have if it weren’t for Casparus van Houten and his hydraulic press.

Coenraad van Houten (1801-1887)

Casparus van Houten's son who is also credited with the development of cocoa powder.